While numerous oscillating carton bottom score line breakers exist, the following three patents disclose known continuous motion bottom score line breaker mechanisms.
Egleston U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,659 discloses a machine including continuous motion mandrels having tubular cartons mounted thereon and rotatable past spindles which are continuously rotating around fixed axes. The spindles have fingers or wings mounted thereon for breaking oppositely disposed side closure panels, along with blades for closing the trailing closure panel. A stationary teflon coated camming shoe closes the leading closure panel.
Murrah U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,862 is somewhat similar to U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,659 in operation, but, additionally, includes a disk roller rotatably mounted on the distal end of each of a pair of continuously rotating blades to eliminate possible marring of the end surface observed by consumers.
Swedish patent no. 452,736 discloses two pair of dual legs continuously rotating to function similarly to the U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,659 arrangement to break the opposite side and trailing panels, in conjunction with a pair of camming rails for closing the leading panel of a moving carton.
Sherman et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,181 discloses an arrangement for closing both flat ends of a continuous moving filled carton (no mandrel), including tucking fingers, flap folding rods, folding plates, and compression bars.
Patents disclosing reciprocatory pivotal elements for pre-breaking the oppositely disposed pairs of end closure panels include Vetten U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,834; Nilsson U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,469; Clift et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,522; Allen et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,059; Makbayashi et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,077; and Larsen U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,607.